Feature/hacksheffield society community assessment

communities/hacksheffield-society/community-assessment.md

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+## HackSheffield Society
+
+### Definition
+Students interested in tech and Hackathons at the University of Sheffield.
+
+### Size
+- How many people are currently in your community?
+
+Officially, a little over 200 members. Reality, around 50 engaged members.
+- How many would you _like_ to be in your community?
+
+Improvement in engagement rate should be a priority.
+- Historically, has the group always been about the same size? If not, what brought on that change?
+
+The group has been around for a little over a year and has been growing steadily.
+
+### Resources
+- What is currently available to people in your community to learn about tech?
+
+Opportunities to attend Hackathons with a local community.
+- Are there meetups, seminars, online tools, office hours, hackathons?
+
+We use Slack for team communication, facebook group for notifications: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107551632685288/, facebook page for events https://www.facebook.com/pg/HackSheffield/events/. A committee meets most weeks to organise events, but no regular meetup for everyone.
+
+### Accessibility
+- How accessible are the current resources in your community?
+
+At the moment, being on facebook is almost a requirement to be most aware of events. This could be improved with email newsletters.
+- Are meetings held during hours where people may be working?
+
+Generally events like workshops always happen in the evenings to increase attendance.
+- Is there childcare available?
+
+No childcare available.
+
+### Interests
+- Is your community made up only of computer science students? Are you OK with that?
+
+Not exclusively from CS, but many are. Those that aren't from CS are often very passionate.
+- Is your community open to other topics, or are their interests very specific?
+
+Topics are usually tech-related but open to anything that will peak interest from the community.
+
+### Goals
+- Why do people get involved in your community?
+
+People get involved to participate in a community attending Hackathons. They also wish to learn more technology - often tech that helps at Hackathons.
+- Are they students hoping to get a degree?
+
+Yes
+- Are they trying to ramp-up to get a job?
+
+Potentially
+- Are they passionate about developing, regardless of their major?
+
+Most but not all. Inclusion of those who are not yet is a goal.
+- What activities and goals can you set for your community based on their existing goals?
+
+Improve on Hackathon attendance around the country. Improve reach, attendance, and enthusiasm from degrees outside of CS. Improve workshop frequency.
+
+### Location
+- Where does your community currently gather?
+
+Venues at the University of Sheffield, or at Hackathons around the UK.
+- Is it an online-only group so far, or is there a place where people can meet?
+
+People can meet within the University. Most event organisation happens online.
+- Is there parking, and if so, is it free?
+
+https://www.shef.ac.uk/parkingservices/visitors
+- Is there public transportation available to and from meet-ups?
+
+Yes.
+- Is the location accessible to those both on and off campus?
+
+Some university venues require guest access, which can be arranged for most venues.
+- How much does it cost to use the space?
+
+University venues are often free. Opening venues which are usually closed usually incurs portering and cleaning costs.
+- How flexible is the space for different types of presentations and meetings?
+
+We always use the most appropriate venue for the event. Often this is The Diamond building which has flexible space, rooms suitable for food, lecture theatres, and more. The Diamond accomodates all needs other than a large open space for a Hackathon with greater than 100 people.
+- How many people can it fit?
+
+We can easily accomodate open-space events for around 100 people with no cost. For lectures we could accomodate up to 400 with no cost. We could cost a free-venue hackathon for up to 100. Larger Hackathons require opening up other buildings with a cost.
+- Is there comfortable seating for all shapes and sizes?
+
+Seating is generally restricted to that of the venue which may not cover all needs.
+- Is there water or snacks available nearby?
+
+Water fountains are available in most university buildings including The Diamond. Snacks are sometimes provided by us.
+
+### Communication
+ - Mailing list that all members of the society get added to.
+ - GitHub organisation that all committee members, general organisers, and past committee members have access to. Limited public access. We are experimenting with the organisation for as much organisation as possible and looking to learn good usage patterns. (https://github.com/hacksheffield) - many private repositories.
+ - Slack or FB Messenger for Chat. We try to stick to Slack for as much as possible if it is not a burden on accessibility.
+ - Twitter for general public communication of what's going on. (https://twitter.com/HackSheffield)
+ - Facebook group for notifications (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107551632685288/)
+ - Facebook page for events (https://www.facebook.com/HackSheffield/events)
+
+### Culture
+- How welcoming is your community to new people and new ideas?
+
+We could take a more active response on requesting ideas and initiatives for the society.
+- What happens if there is a disagreement?
+
+It is discussed by the committee to consider all sides of a disagreement and take appropriate action.
+- Are there any policies or procedures in place, and are they documented?
+
+We try to document as much as possible in the GitHub organisation.
+- How will you personally handle it?
+
+I will raise issues with a committee member as I no longer am a part of the committee. I am taking an advisory role in the running of the society but am always looking out for ways to help them thrive.